Means for removing cosmetics

ABSTRACT

DISCLOSED HEREIN IS A WOVEN PAD IMPREGNATED WITH AN ANHYDROUS COMPOSITION COMPRISING SPECIFIED NON-IONIC SURFACE ACTIVE AGENTS IN AN OLEOGENOUS BASE. THIS PAD IS USEFUL AS A VERSATILE COSMETIC MAKEUP-REMOVING MEANS.

United States Patent 3,795,624 MEANS FOR REMOVING COSMETICS Wollfe Harry Feinstone, Memphis, Tenn., assignor to Plough, Inc., Memphis, Tenn. No Drawing. Filed Apr. 7, 1972, Ser. No. 242,140 Int. Cl. Clld 17/04 US. Cl. 252-91 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed herein is a woven pad impregnated with an anhydrous composition comprising specified non-ionic surface active agents in an oleogenous base. This pad is useful as a versatile cosmetic makeup-removing means.

The ever-increasing variety and complexity of cosmetic makeup compositions has compounded the problem of their removal. Since the cosmetic user rarely knows whether a given cosmetic formulation is water-based, wax-based or oil-based, an ideal cosmetic remover must be able to remove all types of cosmetic bases and materials. In particular the various types of eye makeup, e.g. mascara, eye shadow and eye liner, involve chemically diverse materials.

A further problem in this art results from the following disparate consumer preferences. When some users remove their makeup they prefer to leave a thin moisturizing fihn in its place. On the other hand, some individuals at times find such an oily film undesirable, and prefer their natural clean skin surface.

The increased mobility and activity of cosmetic users would further require that an ideal makeup removal means be conveniently portable, quick, and fully utilizable without recourse to extraneous materials such as soap. It is of course highly desirable that the application of a cosmetic product not be messy or inelegant.

I have now discovered an article which is readily portable and is capable of removing all types of makeup, i.e., regardless of the chemical nature of the base. This article is not messy to use and furthermore permits the user the option of forming and retaining an emollient film, or leaving the skin free of any extraneous materials. Moreover, it does not have to be hermetically packaged, thereby atfording more convenient access in addition to avoiding the significant costs of such packaging.

This article comprises an absorptive sheet of single use disposable woven pad material adapted to remove cosmetics from the skin and capable of depositing a m0isturizing film in its place, which film can be removed with water alone, said sheet being impregnated with 1.5 to 3 times its Weight of an anhydrous composition consisting essentially of about 5 to 25% by weight of at least one dermatologically-acceptable non-ionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of:

(a) esters of a polyethylene glycol having a molecular Weight between about 200 and 600 with fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms.

(b) esters of sorbitol with fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms, and the polyethenoxy ethers of said esters (c) polyethenoxy ethers of alkanes and alkyl phosphates having 12 to 18 carbon atoms in a major amount by weight of at least one dermatologically acceptable vehicle which is liquid at 20 C. selected from the group consisting of:

(a) mineral oil (b) lower alkyl esters of fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms; and

(c) alkanols having 8 to 18 carbon atoms "Ice The foregoing substances are well known to the chemist and are exemplified in the illustrative formulations below. An exemplary grade of suitable mineral oil has a viscosity of -95 SUS. The surfactant is preferably present in an amount of between about 10 and 20% by weight of the total anhydrous impregnating composition.

These impregnated sheets are conveniently packaged in a shallow, wide-mouthed jar which can conveniently be fabricated from a suitable plastic. Since the impregnant composition is anhydrous neither the sheet nor the jar need be hermetically sealed.

When it is desired to employ these sheets, the user merely opens the jar, takes the pad and wipes the desired area. In many instances this will be sutficient to adequately remove the makeup and deposit a moisturizing film. This thin layer imparts a feeling of softness. If one wishes to remove this emollient film, the area can be rinsed with water.

In case the user is wearing certain cosmetic materials which prove difiicult to remove, the sheet can be dipped or wetted with water prior to wiping. This produces a water-in-oil emulsion. When applied to the makeup area, the oil-soluble makeup bases and their associated pigments are incorporated into the water-soluble or waterdispersable phase. The formation of an emulsion permits insoluble materials present in the cosmetic formulation to be suspended in the layer of the composition on the skin. The wetted area can then be wiped dry with a tissue or absorbent cotton and virtually all the makeup is removed in the process. It is then a matter of individual preference Whether to remove all traces of the moisturizing film on the skin or to wash it off using water, with or without soap. Unlike other chemical removers, no extraneous substances (besides water) are necessary to remove the remover.

The compositions to be employed in this invention may of course contain compatible additives. For example, suitable perfumes and coloring agents may be incorporated in known manner for the puropse of imparting further cosmetic and esthetic elegance to the product.

Compatible antibacterial agents such as the alkyl esters of para-hydroxy-benzoic acid (parabens), sorbic acid hexachlorophene and long-chain alkyl quaternary ammonium halides may also be incorporated. Other stabilizers, preservatives and antioxidants such as butylated hydroxy toluene, propyl gallate, nordihydroguaiaretic acid and citric acid can similarly be included.

The pads (used synonymously with sheets) for use in my invention can be round, square or of any desired shape. For convenience the pad should have a surface area within the range of 2 to 7 square inches. It may be formed from any suitable absorbent fibrous material such as cotton, wool, linen, rayon, cellulose acetate, nylon, polyester, and mixtures thereof. The pad material can be treated in known manner to impart a softer and more pleasing hand.

The pads employed in the following examples are circular (two inches in diameter) and are fabricated from 'plain woven, double-napped, bleached cotton flannel materiaL. These pads have an average weight of 0.246 gram and are impregnated with an average of 0.58 gram of the representative compositions below. Thus, each pad is impregnated with about 2.36 times its weight of the anhydrous composition. With pads of this type the impregnant composition is preferably within the range of 0.4 to 0.7 gram per pad in order to provide sufficient composition to adequately remove the usual amounts of cosmetic makeup and yet not be messy or hard to control. All parts are by weight unless otherwise specified.

3 EXAMPLE 1 Polyethylene Glycol 400 Dioleate 10.00 Mineral oil 89.65 Butylparaben 0.10 Butylated hydroxy anisole 0.05 Perfume 0.20

EXAMPLE 2 Polyethylene Glycol 200 Dilaurate 10.00 Mineral oil 89.65 Butylparaben 0.10 Butylated hydroxy anisole 0.05 Perfume 0.20

EXAMPLE 3 Polyethylene Glycol 400 Distearate 20.00 Isopropyl myristate 79.60 Hexachlorophene 0.10 Propylparaben 0.10 Perfume 0.20

EXAMPLE 4 Sorbitan mono-'oleate 15.00 Hexadecyl alcohol 20.00 Isopropyl isostearate 10.00 Mineral oil 90.00

EXAMPLE 5 Sorbitan trioleate 10.00 Mineral oil 90.00

EXAMPLE 6 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan trioleate 15.00 Hexadecyl alcohol 84.85 Butylparaben 0.10 Butylated hydroxy toluene 0.05

EXAMPLE 7 Polyoxyethylene oleyl ether 10.00 Mineral oil 89.65 Butylparaben 0.10 Butylated hydroxy anisole 0.05 Perfume 0.20

EXAMPLE 8 Polyoxyethylene oleyl ether phosphate 20.00 Isopropyl palmitate 25.00 Mineral oil 54.88 Cetyl pyridinium chloride 0.02 Perfume 0.10

Numerous variants of the impregnated sheets described above will be apparent to one skilled in the art within the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An absorptive sheet of single use disposable woven pad material adapted to remove cosmetics from the skin and capable of depositing a moisturizing film in its place, which film can be removed with water alone, said sheet being impregnated with 1.5 to 3 times its weight of an anhydrous composition consisting essentially of about 5 to 25% by weight of at least one dermatologically-acceptable non-ionic surfactant from the group consisting of: (a) esters of a polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight between about 200 and 600 with fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms (b) esters of sorbitol with fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms, and the polyethenoxy ethers of said esters (c) polyethenoxy ethers of alkanes and alkyl phosphates having 12- to 18 carbon atoms in a major amount by weight of at least one dermatologically acceptable vehicle which is liquid at 20 C. selected from the group consisting of:

(a) mineral oil (b) lower alkyl esters of fatty acids having 12 to 18 carbon atoms; and

(c) alkanols having 8 to 18 carbon atoms.

2. A sheet according to claim 1 wherein said surfactant is an ester of a polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight between about 200 and 600 with a fatty acid having 12 to 18 carbon atoms.

3. A sheet according to claim 1 wherein said surfactant is present in an amount of between 10 and 20% by weight of said anhydrous composition.

4. A sheet according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle comprises mineral oil.

5. A sheet according to claim 1 which contains about 0.4 to 0.7 gram of said anhydrous composition.

6. A method for removing cosmetic material from an area of the skin comprising wiping said area with a sheet asdescribed in claim 1.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein Water is applied to said area after Wiping with said sheet.

8. A method according to claim 6 wherein prior to wiping, said sheet is wetted with water.

9. A method according to claim 6 wherein said surfactant is an ester of a polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight between about 200 and 600 with a fatty acid having 12 to 18 carbon atoms.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,960,192 5/1934 Howard 252-91 2,683,087 7/ 1954 Reynolds 25291 3,277,013 10/1966 Gianladis 252Dig. 5 3,150,049 9/ 1964 Emory 252Dig. 5 3,235,457 2/ 1966 Laden 252-Dig. 5

OTHER REFERENCES Kirk-Othmer, Encycl. of Chem. Techn, vol. I, Interscience Publ. (1963), p. 555.

WILLIAM E. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

15104.93; 252-Dig. 5; 424-27 

